Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge

Clayoquot Sound is the address here, a wide inlet on Vancouver Island's west coast where the Bedwell River meets the Pacific. The lodge sits within a 600-acre stretch of UNESCO-designated biosphere reserve, forest and river on one side, tidal water on the other. Twenty-five white canvas tents line the riverbank, each with a wood stove, an en-suite bathroom and a private deck facing the water. Guests arrive by seaplane from Vancouver, a 45-minute flight, then transfer to the lodge by horse-drawn wagon. It is a short journey, but the shift in scale is immediate. Days run on tides and weather rather than a schedule. Guided hikes follow the Bedwell River through old-growth cedar and hemlock, some of it approaching 400 years old, while canyoning trips paddle upstream to a glacial waterfall channel. A helicopter fleet reaches alpine lakes and remote sea caves beyond hiking range. Boat excursions into the sound turn up black bears foraging on the shoreline, otters, seals and occasionally orcas. The Cookhouse, built around an open kitchen, serves Pacific Northwest dishes from local and foraged ingredients; the Ivanhoe bar looks out over the water. A wellness deck adds a sauna, cedar hot tubs and a cold-water plunge point on the river. The lodge runs seasonally, open from May to September only.